Apparatus for and method of cleaning lint cotton



Nov. 25, 1958 D. D. DAY 2,861,299

APPARATUS FOR AND METHOD OF CLEANING LINT COTTON Filed Dec. 17, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Nov. 25, 1958 D. D. DAY

APPARATUS FOR AND METHOD OF CLEANING LINT COTTON 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 17, 1952 Nov. 25, 1958 D. D. DAY 2,861,299

APPARATUS FOR AND METHOD OF CLEANING LINT COTTON Filed Dec. 17, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Nov. 25 1958 2,861,299

APPARATUS FOR AND METHOD OF CLEANING LINT COTTON Filed Dec. 17, 1952 D. D. DAY

4 Sheets-Sheet 4 APPARATUS FOR AND METHOD OF CLEANING LINT CGTTON Dewey D. Day, Dallas, Tex., Company of Texas, Inc., of Delaware Application December 17, 1952, Serial No. 326,528 8 Claims. (Cl. 19-76) assignor to The Murray Dallas, Tex., a corporation able to deliver a clean product, the value of the lint depending upon, among other things, the cleanliness of the product.

The separation of impurities from this lint is a difiicult operation since the impurities, in particular leaf and stem particles, tend to become tangled in aggregates or webs of lint, while the dust particles are even smaller than the individual lint fibers. In particular, because of the tendency of lint to tangle and cling to certain types of foreign matter, it is desirable to separate the lint and impurities as soon as the lint is delivered from the gin and before it has been condensed or otherwise compacted. When the cleaning takes place immediately after ginning it is desirable, as a step in the cleaning process to agitate the lint so as to facilitate the separation of the dirt, but in such a way as to avoid the formation of aggregates, neps or pills of lint and while maintaining the lint in suspension in a moving air current. The present invention has for its object the provision of means for removing impurities from the lint delivered by cotton gins; to provide simple apparatus designed to receive the lint directly from the cotton gin, and before it has been condensed, and to remove so large a portion of the impurities as to produce a lint of superior cleanliness; to provide cleaning apparatus which does not tend to the formation of pills or other aggregates but which, on the other hand, is operative so to impact the lint fibers while in suspension in air as to loosen dirt and to break up aggregates already formed, thereby to facilitate separation of the lint and impurities; to provide apparatus wherein the separation of impurities from the lint takes place While the lint is suspended in an air current of substantial velocity, and which separates the impurities from the lint by inertia action. Other and further advantages of the invention will be pointed out in the following description and by reference to the accompanying drawings wherein Fig. 1 is a more or less diagrammatic, transverse, vertical section through cleaning apparatus embodying the present invention and showing its relation to a cotton gin and to the lint-conveying flue which extends along a bank of cotton gins;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary, transverse section, to larger scale than Fig. 1, showing in detail the elements of the cleaning device and omitting other parts;

' Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section, on the same vertical plane as that of Fig. 2, but showing some of the elements as of slightly modified construction and showing the parts which define the mote discharge slot to larger scale and indicating the path of motes as they approach and pass out through the slot;

nited States Patent 2,861,299 Patented Nov. 25, 1958 Fig. 4 is a fragmentary, vertical section on substantially the same plane as Fig. 2, illustrating an arrangement (wherein some of the elements are slightly modified as compared with those illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2) for varying the transverse dimensions of the ducts through which the air current passes;

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of an agitating device forming an element of the cleaning mechanism;

Fig. 6 is an edge elevation of a single saw such as may be used in forming the agitating device of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 6 but showing a duplex saw; and a a Fig. 8 is a fragmentary vertical section, similar to Fig. 2, but illustrating a further modification.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates one of a row of conventional cotton gins mounted on the floor F. To the rear of this row of gins the floor is provided with a channel C, extending parallel to the row of gins, within which is arranged the main lint flue M which receives lint from each of the several gins and conveys it to a point of discharge, for example to a condenser, the

arrangement being such that subatmospheric pressure is maintained within the flue M. Rearwardly of the channel C a series of mote-collecting devices K is mounted upon the floor F, one of these devices corresponding to each of the several gins 1.

As illustrated in Fig. 1, each mote-collecting device K is carried by a frame 2 resting on the floor and which supports a casing 3, usually of sheet metal, whichdefines the mote-collecting chamber 4, the lower parts of the casings 3 of the several mote collectors K communicating with a duct 5 extending along the row of collectors K and within which there is arranged an endless moving belt 6 onto which the collecting motes drop and which moves them along the duct 5 to a point of discharge at one end of the series of mote collectors.

Each of the cotton gins 1 is provided with a delivery duct 7 which leads to a duct 8 to the receiving end of the supply conduit 9 of the corresponding collector K. The major portion of conduit 9 is located within a casing 10 carried by the frame 2 of the respective. mote collector. The duct 9 has upper and lower walls 11 and 12 respectively (Figs. 1 and 2), the wall 11 having a portion 13 which is cylindrically curved about a horizontal axis and which merges smoothly with a terminal portion 16 which slopes steeply down, for example, at an angle of the order of 60 to the horizontal and which may be approximately straight and which is tangent to the curved portion 13 at the point 17. However, the part 16 may, if desired, be curved to a radius substantially greater than that of the opposed partof the opposite wall so that the inner surface of part 16 is slightly concave. The lower wall 12 of the duct 9 is also municates with and forms a part of the. supply duct 9;

The lower edge of the terminal portion 16 of the upper wall of the supply duct 9 ends at a horizontal, straight edge 18 which forms the upper boundaryof the motedischarge slot 19 through which motes are ejected in a downward direction. As shown in Fig. 3 the part 16 extends downwardly below that radial plane P of the part 20 which is substantially perpendicular to the part 16.

The curved portion 14 of the lower or inner wall 12 of the duct 9 merges smoothly with a U-bend 20 of the order of 180 of arc, which in turn merges smoothly and in tangent relation, at the point 21, with theinitial portion which in turn is connected.

of the duct, is spaced substantially uniformly from the wall 22 and which, near the receiving portion of the duct 23, has apart 26 which is substantially straight. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the radius of the U-bend 20 isless than thedistance between the walls 22 and 24' of tfie'aenveryiceaanit, and thus the air current in, passing from the throat T, between the parts 16 and 20, to the conduit 23 is obliged to make a very sharp turn whose included angle does not exceed 90. The conduit 23 extends rearwardlyi (Fig. 3) beyond the radialplane P of the bend 20 at which the bend is tangent to the wall 22'; The main portionof the delivery conduit 23 (Fig. 1.)' extends upwardly and forwardly in a smooth curve and then downwardly and substantially vertically to, a jjunctio'r'i with a nipple 25 projecting from the wall of the flue M.

71' he initial portion of the delivery conduit 23 is preferably defined by an adjustable slide 29 comprising spaced parallel members 27 and 28 disposed on} opposite sides of the straight terminal portion 26 of the wall 24. The initial portion of the part 27 of the slide29 is inclined so that it approaches the wall 22 and reduces the area of the conduit 23 at its entrance. The slide 29 is shown in Fig. 2. as having. an actuating element A by means of which it may be adjusted. The outer end of the slide 29 is shaped to provide plane surfaces which intersect at an acute angle at 32 to form a mote directing edge or lip which defines the lower boundary of the discharge slot 19. The element 31 which provides one of said intersecting surfaces is at the end of the slide and fixed to a wedge block 30 forming a part of the slide, the plane outer surface provided by the element 31 being substantially parallel to the. inner surface of the terminal portion 16 of the outer wall of the conduit 9. As shownin Fig. 2, for example, the terminal portion 16 of the outer wall of the supply conduit 9 and the initial portion of the outer wall of the delivery conduit 23 are located within the upper part of the mote collecting chamber, so that the slot 19 opens into said chamber. In Fig. 3, the terminal portion 26 of the wall 24 is shown as aligned with that portion of the latter wall which is parallel with the Wall 22. By movement of the slide 29, the position of this edge 32 with respect to the plane of the inner surface of the terrfriiiialmember 16 may be varied, thereby varying the effective width of the mote-discharge slot 19.

It is contemplated that the terminal portion 16 of the upperwall of the conduit 9 may be flexible as illustrated inFig. 4. and provided with adjusting means B whereby the tliroat T between the part 16 and the bend 20 may be varied in width. As illustrated in Fig. 4, the part 30', corresponds in function to the part 30 shown in Fig. 2,. is slightly different in shape from the part 30, while the terminal portion of 26 of the wall 24 is aligned that portion of the wall 24 which is parallel to the wall',22; and in the arrangement of 'Fig. 4, the slide 29 is longer than the slide 29 of Fig. 2. Since the gins are usually arranged in series with thedeliveryconduits 2 3 of all of the gins connected to the same conduit M which I leads to the condenser, the suction effectwill be stronger in those conduits 2'3 Which-are nearer to the condenser than in those further away, Thus it is desirable to provide means for adjusting the amount of. suction in each individual conduit23 independently of the others thereby toassure uniformity of suction at each of the several gins for this purpose. As illustrated in Fig. 4, the bottom wallld of the delivery duct 23 may comprise a flexible portion 24 with means 24 by means of which it may be bent to a position such as suggested atlA' thereby to vary the effective transverse area of, the duct 23 at the point 23 In addition, or alternatively, to the flexible portion 24*, the conduit 23 may be provided with a port G (Fig. 1) controlled by a valve V, the port being located at any convenientpart of the conduit. Recallingthat the con duit 23, where it leaves the chamber 41, isof substantially the-full width of the gin ,(that is to say the conduit is approximately rectangular in transversesection andmuch longer from front to rear than from right to left, as viewed in Fig. 1) it is desirable to be able to vary the size of the port G controlled by the valve V, as between different portions of its length. For this purpose, the valve V may be of flexible material hinged or otherwise attached to the wall 24 of the conduit 23 at the upper border of the port G and provided with a plurality of independent adjusting devices A near its lower edge. By variously setting the several adjusting devices A the lower portion of the valve V may be flexed so as to vary the effective width of theport G at different points in its length, thereby providing for a very accurate adjustment of the suction at all points transversely of the conduit 23.

The casing 3 of the mote-collecting chamber 4 is provided with an opening W (Fig. 2) through which air may freely enter the mote-collecting chamber.

Within the lint-agitating chamber 15 and coaxial with the curved walls 13 and 14 there is arranged a horizontal shaft 33 which is ,rotated in a clockwise direction, as viewed in. Fig. 2 On this shaft there ismounted a series of agitator or beater elements here shown as wobble saws 34, each of these saws having teeth 35 at its peripheral edge. As shown in Fig. 5, the saw blades are mounted on the shaft 33 so that the plane of each saw is inclined to the axis of the shaft, the saws all being disposed in planes parallel to each other. As illustrated in Fig. 6, the saw 34 is welded to one end face of a collar 36 having a bore 37 to receive the shaft 33 and having radial screw threaded openings 33 for the reception of set screws. The axis of the bore 37 in the collar 36 is not perpendicular to the axis of the plane of the saw 34 but, as here illustrated, by way of example, makes an angle ofthe order of 10 therewith. This angle may be varied in accordance with the kind of material to be operated upon and the amount of agitation desired. Single saws, each secured to its bushing 36, are assembled on the shaft 33 and secured thereto by set screws entering the openings 38 and engaging the shaft. j As an alternative arrangement, as shown in Fig. 7, two saws 34 and 34 may be secured respectively to the opposite end faces of the bushing 36*, beingsecured to the bushing by spot weldingor the, like and then these duplex saws may be mounted on the shaft in the same way as the single saw, but withthe provision of spacer bushings between adjacent pairs of saws.

In the operation of the. device, it being assumed that the gin 1 is delivering an air current at super'atmos'pheric pressure into the duct 7, and that lint, together with impurities such as leaf particles, hull pepper, sand and dust, are suspended in this air current, the current of air will follow the conduit 8 and thus' enter the supply conduit 9 of the cleaning apparatus K. It is assumed that the shaft 33 is being driven at high speed in the direction of the arrow. A rim speed of the saws 34 of approximately twice the linear velocity, of theentering air current has been found to be very effective, b'utis cited merely by way of example, and not with limiting intent. When the air current enters the chamber 15, the action of the bank of wobblesaws is to cause a rapid vibration of the air withinthe chamber 15v in adirection longitudinal of the shaft 33, with the result that impurities adherent to the lint fibers will be loosened sothat they may readily separate from. the lint fibers. The agitation produced by the bank of wobble saws herein disclosed is of a nature such that it does not tend to produce aggregates of lint fibers or to form neps or pills of lint, while on the other handit is very effective in shaking loose any impurities which cling'to the lint fibers as they enter the chamber at 5.

The bank orcylinder of wobble saws has the further effect ofadding very substantially to the velocity of the material suspended in the air current as it enters chamber 15, so that the vparticles of material, suspended in the air, are forcibly impelled against the curved inner surface of the wall 13 of the chamber 15, with a consequent change in direction. The centrifugal forcethus created, acts upon the co-mingled lint fibers and impurity particles to cause the impurities, due to their greater weight, to move outwardly and press with a greater force against the inner surface of the wall 14 than do the lighter lint fibers, the heavier particles, that is to say the motes, tending to slide along the inside surface of the curved wall 13 and its terminal portion 16. Since the port 19 is below the saw cylinder, gravity provides a further force for accelerating the heavier particles in moving toward the port. Since the terminal portion of duct 9 makes an angle of the order of 90 with the receiving portion of duct 23, the inertia of the heavier particles tends to cause them to continue on, without change in direction, as they pass the lower edge 18 of the part 16, while the lighter lint fibers follow the air current around the bend. The lip 32 which forms the lower edge of the mote discharge slot 19 is offset from the path which the heavier particles tend to follow as they pass the edge 18, so that these heavier particles move down rearwardly of the edge 32 and along the rear surface 31 of the wedge 30 and into the mote-collection chamber 4.

Since subatmospheric pressure is maintained in the flue M there is :a tendency for air to be drawn in through the slot 19 into the receiving portion of the delivery duct 23. This inflow of air, although not sufiiciently strong to defiect the heavy particles which are forcibly projected downwardly from the edge 18, nevertheless is suflicient to cause any such particles of lint as may be moving down in close proximity to the part 16 to be swept forwardly and upwardly into the receiving portion of the delivery duct 23. By adjustment of the valve V (Fig. 1) and/ or adjustment of the part 24 (Fig. 4) of the delivery duct, the suction effect in the latter duct may be varied, thereby varying the amount of air which will enter through the slot 19. On the other hand by flexing the part 16 (Fig. 4) toward or from the bend 20 so as to vary the width of the throat T, the velocity of the air approaching the discharge slot 19 may be varied, thus increasing or decreasing the inertia eifect which causes the heavier particles to shoot downwardly past the edge 18 and to the rear of the lip 32. By movement of the slide 29, the position of the lip 32 with respect to the plane of the inner surface of the part 16 may be varied, thereby providing for a very accurate adjustment of the effective Width of the slot 19 to adjust the apparatus for cleaning lint containing various types of impurity. A possible movement of the lip 32 of inch to the right of its position as illustrated in Fig. 2, and a possible movmeent of 1 inches to the left of said position provides all of the necessary range of adjustment.

The mote particles which fall into the chamber 4 are conveyed away by the belt 6, while the cleaned lint fibers traverse the delivery duct 23 and eventually enter the flue M through which they move to the collecting point.

The arrangement shown in Fig. 8 is in all substantial particulars similar to that of Fig. 2 except that the chamber 15, with the enclosed agitator and beater device shown in Fig. 2, is omitted. As shown, the lower wall 12 of the supply conduit 9 merges in a right-angled bend with a vertical portion M which at its lower end merges with a bend 20* which lower leg merges with the upper wall 22 of the delivery conduit 23. However, in Fig. 8, the wedge block 30*, which corresponds in function to the wedge block 30 of cut shape from the block 30, while the slide 29 is not shown in Fig. 8 as provided with an actuating handle, such as the handle A of Fig. 2. Thus the centrifugal force which cause the heavy particles S to seek the outer wall of the conduit 9 and to move down along the steeply sloping inner surface of the part 16 and thus pass downwardly and out through the port 19 is due to the change in direction of the air current as it encounters the curved wall 13 assisted by the action of gravity. As in the Fig. 2, is of slightly diiferprior embodiments, the heavy particles S move in a downdelinter gin, as well as to staple length lint discharged by a lint cotton gin and when, in the claims, reference is made to a cotton gin this term is intended in a generic sense to include gins of all classes, whether for removing staple fiber or lint. 7

While desirable embodiments of apparatus have herein been disclosed by way of example for use in the practice of the present invention, it is to be understood that the invention is broadly inclusive of any and all modifications falling within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim: I

1. In combination with a cotton gin of the kind having a discharge duct into which a lint-laden current of air, at super-atmospheric pressure, is delivered by the gin, means remote from the gin defining a mote-collecting chamber, a supply conduit which receives the lint-laden air from the discharge duct of the gin, a delivery conduit in which sub-atmospheric pressure is maintained, the supply and delivery conduits having inner and outer walls, the inner walls of the supply and delivery conduits being united to form a smooth bend, the outer wall of the supply conduit having a cylindrically curved part which merges tangentially with an approximately straight terminal portion so spaced from the bend as to narrow'the supply conduit adjacent to the bend, the said terminal portion having a free edge which defines one boundary of a mote-delivery slot opening into the mote collecting chamber, the initial portion of the outer wall of the delivery conduit being so spaced from said bend as to provide a narrow entrance to the delivery conduit, said initial portion of said outer wall of the delivery conduit comprising parts providing surfaces which intersect at an acute angle to form a mote-diverting lip directed toward the air current flowing in the supply conduit, said lip defining the other boundary of the mote-delivery slot, the edge of said lip being spaced inwardly from the plane of the inner surface of the outer wall of the supply conduit, the inner and outer walls of the supply conduit, in advance of the discharge slot, comprising coaxial, cylindrically curved portions defining a lint-agitating chamber, a rotary shaft coaxial with and within said chamber, and an agitator or heater mounted on the shaft.

2. Cleaning apparatus for cleaning lint delivered by a gin, comprising, in combination, a conduit in which air flows under super-atmospheric pressure, a second conduit in which air flows under sub-atmospheric pressure, the delivery end portion of the first conduit making an angle of the order of with the receiving end portion of the second conduit, the delivery end portion of the first conduit having spaced walls, the outer of which has a downwardly and steeply inclined, substantially straight terminal portion having a horizontal free edge which defines one boundary of a mote-discharge slot, a bendof the order of of are joining a substantially straight portion of the inner wall of the delivery end substantially straight portion of the first conduit with a of the inner wall of the receiving end of the second conduit, the radius of said arc being less than the distance between the inner and outer walls of the main portion of the second conduit, the outer wall of the receiving end of the second conduit carrying parts which define an acute horizontal edge which defines the other boundary of the discharge slot, said latter boundary of the discharge slot being in a plane parallel to but spaced inwardly from the terminal portion of the outer wall of the first conduit, the first conduit including a housing of approximately cylindrical shape, a rotary shaft within neat-gen said housing, and a series of wobble saws mounted onsaid shaft; I v V Cleaning apparatus for cleaning lint delivered by a gin comprising, in combination, a conduit in which air flows under super-atmospheric pressure; a second conduit in which air flows under sub-atmospheric pressure, the delivery end portion of the first conduit making an angle of the order of- 90 with the receiving end portion of the second conduit, the delivery end portion of the first conduit having spaced walls, the outer of which has a downwardly inclined substantially straight terminal portion having a horiZontal free edge which defines oneboundary of a mote-discharge slot, a bend of the order of 180 ofarc joining a substantially straight portion of the inner wall of the delivery end of the first conduit with a substantially straight portion of the inner wall of the receiving end of the second conduit, the radius of said arc being less than the distance between the inner and outer walls of the main portion of the second cqnduit, the outer wall of the receiving end of the second conduit comprising parts which define an acute horizontal edge which defines the other boundary of the discharge slot, said latter boundary of the discharge slot being in a plane parallel to but spaced inwardly from the terminal portion of the outer wall of thefirst conduit, the first conduit comprising a housing having a cylindrically curved wall which merges smoothly in tangential relation to the aforesaid terminal portion of the outer wall of the first conduit, a shaft within said housing coaxial with said cylindrically curved wall, a series of disks fixedto said shaft, and means for rotating the shaft in a direction such as centrifugally to impel particles suspended in the air current in a direc-' tion parallel to said terminal portion of said wall and thereby assist gravity in expelling such particles out through the discharge slot.

4; In combination with a cotton gin of the kind which has a discharge duct into which a lint-laden current of air at super-atmospheric pressure is delivered by the gin, means remote from the gin defining a mote-collecting chamber, a supply conduit which receives the lintladen air from the discharge duct of the gin, a delivery conduit, having upper and lower walls, in which subatmo's'pheric pressure is maintained, the supply conduit comprising a substantially horizontal portion having upp e'rand lower walls, said walls having downward extensions which are cylindrically curved about a horizontalaxis with their concave faces opposed to each other and which define a lint-agitating chamber of a diameter substantially exceeding the vertical height of said horizontal portion of the supply conduit, the cylindrically curved extension of the upper wall merging with a substantially straight terminal portion inclining downwardly at an angle'of approximately 60 to the horizontal, the cylindrically curved extension of the lower wall of the supply conduit merging tangentially with a substantially straight, downwardly sloping portion which is substantially perpendicular to the straight terminal portion ofthe cylindrically curved extension of the upper wall of the conduit, said downwardly sloping straight portion merging with the upper arm of a U-b'end of an arc of approximately 180 and which, at its nearest approach to said straight terminal portion of the opposite wall is spaced from the latter a distance less than the vertical width of the'hotiZOntal portion of the supply conduit; the lower arm of the U-bend merging with the ripper wall of the delivery conduit, said straight terminal portion of the downward extension of the upper wall of the supply conduit having a free lower edge which defines the upper boundary of a mote-delivery slot whose lower boundary is defined by a part carried by the lower wall of the discharge conduit, said slot being directly opposite to the aforesaid U-bend and providing an escape port through which heavy particles, suspended in the lint-laden air current are projected downwardly by inertia assisted by gravity.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4 having means within the lint-agitating chamber operative to create rapid vibratory impulses, in a direction parallel to the axis of the chamber, in the lint-laden air flowing through the chamber thereby to loosen particles of dirt adherent to the lint.

6 Apparatus according to claim 4 having a rotating shaft within and coaxial with the lint-agitating chamber, and means carried by the shaft for creating rapid pulsations parallel to the axis of the chamber in the lint-laden air moving through the chamber.

7. Apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the means for creating the rapid impulses in the air moving through the chamber comprises a rotating shaft having fixed thereto a series of parallel circular disks which are inclinedto the axis of the shaft.

8; That method of cleaning lint from a gin which delivers a lint-laden current of air at super-atmospheric pressure in which lint and motes are suspended, said method comprising as steps creating pulsations in the air' current, trasversely of its general direction of flow thereby to loosen the motes from the lint, thereafter directing said air current to flow downwardly, while on de'r confinement, along a predetermined path comprising a portion which is inclined at an angle of approximately 60 to the horizontal and which at its terminal portion merges with a bend of approximately 90 of arcuate extent, increasing the velocity of the air as it approaches the bend, freeing the air from confinement at the outer side of said bend thereby to permit particles, heavier than the lint fibers, to escape downwardly by inertia assisted by gravity from the air current as the latter turns the bend, and discharging the clean lint-carrying air current into a space wherein a sub-atmospheric pressure is maintained.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

